1 . “Work” and “play” have long been seen as enemies. When you’re ________ for an exam or meeting a deadline, every ________ spent on anything instead of studying ________ to be a waste of time. Going to a movie or playing basketball with friends? It is ________.

In an article ________ in Nature magazine on April 29, Alex shared his experience of________ both his hobbies — soccer and violin — to make________ for his studies. And yet he ended up finding himself in a ________ condition: “more stressed and less productive”, he wrote. And that was when he decided to________ “play”back into the picture.

In fact, even many big ________ have seen the important role of “play” in their employees’ ________ and happiness. Huawei,_________, has gyms and swimming pools, which shows its idea“ to ________ the happiest, most productive workplace in the world”. And at Jungle, employees are________ to bring their dogs to work. “If I need to take a break, I ________ my dog out for a relaxation, ”Anna, an employee at Jungle’s headquarters, said. “It brings me________   ”

It seems that these people don’t ________ “work” and “play” as the two ends of a scale (天平) — when one end goes up, the other________ goes down. To them, “work” and “play” are more like two pieces of jigsaw puzzle (拼图), which ________ together and complete each other.

So next time when you prepare for an exam, try to take a break from “work” for a while, and let “play” do the ________   .

2 . After leaving the publishing industry in my fifties, I chose a university to follow my love for animal biology. I regard the experience as a change for my self-confidence, both inside and outside the classroom.

My background is in the arts, so I wanted to see if I could keep up with a science degree. I was a carer for my parent when I was 18, so I didn’t have the opportunity to go to university then. I was a little nervous, and worried, but I was actually treated the same as all the other students.

I’m definitely a bit of a mum figure to some of my classmates, but that’s fine. Friendship grows in different ways. I’ve done lots of volunteering, so there have been plenty of opportunities to extend my knowledge and experience.

My family have been so supportive. My husband is retired(退休) now and has taken on lots of the housework so that I can study. My daughter has already g other degree and she’s been great helping me get new views. I’ve hunted for a few jobs at the university, and I’m also considering other qualifications. I have learned so much about critical thinking.

I would recommend adult study to anyone, even if it’s just college, so they can feel that connection and support. That’s what I missed-going in regularly and having a group of people to talk to, especially if you have gradually lost your confidence over the years You need the support from people who see you as a person and not just a mum or a wife. It’s really given me the confidence to speak up again, to join in and be part of the society.

3 . You can’t please all of the people all of the time. But when we care better for ourselves, we care better for others.

My daughter had recently been offered a funded place at a _________ class. But, three weeks later, she admitted that she had never wanted to do the class and she decided to _________ dancing. It turns out that she thought it would make me _________, because I took dance classes as a teen. Besides, she _________ it would displease the performing arts school to turn down a funded place.

I soon realized that the _________ of being a “good girl” has existed well in my daughter’s generation, although I’ve never considered her as a people pleaser. People pleasers are those who may want to make everyone happy by _________ them to achieve their goals. Some pleasers may not want themselves to be displeased or _________ with. So sometimes they choose not to _________ activities from the very beginning.

The key to solving my daughter’s problem is to follow our real feelings, so that we get to know what we _________ want to do. Tell her that it’s okay to say “__________” to things, and that it’s okay to be __________ sometimes. Also, other people’s reactions are not in our __________ so we have to accept that. Those are not only something that my daughter needs to hear, but also something that we adults need to __________ ourselves of.

Fully understand what we really want and don’t want. It will start to __________ from giving up our needs to please others to learning how to __________ ourselves more.

4 . It was this summer that everything broke. So far I’d had a dead radio, a(n) _________ TV and a shaking table. The latest problem was that my mobile phone didn’t work. It was a 30 miles round trip to the only open mobile phone shop but I made the drive. This seemed to be the _________ straw (稻草) for me. And I was feeling both stressed and _________ at that moment.

After having my _________ fixed, I started driving home. Suddenly, a yellow butterfly _________ in front of my speeding car. I knew I must have crushed it against the front windshield. I felt terrible because butterflies had a special _________ for me. Ever since my mother died 30 years ago, they have _________ me of her love.

I pulled over by the roadside as quickly as possible to _________ the butterfly. It lay flat against the front windshield, but _________ it looked undamaged. As soon as I eased my finger down towards it, it took flight __________. It swung around my head and then flew away with its __________ wings shining in the sun. Tears filled my eyes and I __________ my mother for this surprise. This butterfly was a gentle reminder of her love at the __________ time.

Life is full of stress and struggles. __________, we are loved and we are hoped to live a life of faith and joy. When it comes to the __________ of life, we should keep going on with a smiling face and a happy heart.

7 . I was recently told by someone that I am a people-pleaser, a person who works hard on satisfying other people. However, this person wasn't saying it in a nice way. So what's wrong with that? What's wrong with making sure others are happy with me? Moreover, what exactly are the negative results of being a people-pleaser?

People-pleasers bum their fingers because of their "others-focused" mindset, which puts them at a disadvantage. When others are not happy, people-pleasers cannot think of anything else, nor can they enjoy the moment, because they are often disturbed with the fact that there is someone on the planet who is not satisfied with them at the moment.

People-pleasers often make promises they can't keep—they write checks they can't cash. This is the situation I found myself in recently. I made a promise to someone that I would do something for him. But it was a bit unrealistic and would take more efforts than I was willing to put in. As a result, that promise was empty. The act of making the promise made them happy, and that, in turn, made me feel satisfied.

Now that we've got an idea of the negative aspects of people-pleasers_, what can we do to get rid of those aspects? Where can we start? The biggest challenge people-pleasers must overcome is to get used to saying "no". I find that it is a struggle, indeed. However, if I want to change my ways, then I must learn to overcome that discomfort

Are you a people-pleaser too? Don't worry. It doesn't make you a bad person, or a dishonest person. But it can sometimes leave you open to unneeded anxiety or be cheated by truly selfish people who only wish to take advantage of your kindness. Keep the good intentions and the good-heartedness in your heart. Just work on how you express your real feelings and hold on to your position through your actions.